Is Danny McBride's Crocodile Dundee Movie a Joke?

Seriously? What's the deal? Is Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home a real movie? Or is it some huge elaborate prank that Danny McBride and his Vice Principles team is pulling off for laughs? Many people were asking this question on Friday afternoon, when, unannounced, the trailer for a fourth Crocodile Dundee movie dropped out of the blue, taking everyone by surprise. As far as all the evidence supports, it's a very real movie and it is coming out this summer.

Still, people are shaking their head, and a majority believe that Crocodile Dundee 4 is all some big joke, and that it's most likely tied into a Super Bowl stunt. The film is being released by Rimfire Films, the production company behind the first three movies, which were distributed to great success in America by Paramount Pictures. Rimfire hasn't just set up a Youtube channel for the movie, they also have a very professional looking movie website to go along with it, which you can find at DundeeMovie.com.

There is already some great looking promotional art for the movie, which shows Danny McBride in the traditional Crocodile Dundee outfit, with a Koala sitting on his shoulder. Along with the trailer, we also get a few production stills of Danny McBride in action on set. Sure, these could have been taken during production of a long Super Bowl commercial, perhaps one that runs 90 minutes. But those costs millions of dollars, probably more than the actual budget of this low budget comedy. That's just way to much money for some gag to be carried out by McBride and pals. And if it's a Super Bowl commercial, who is the sponsor? There are no other labels attached to the website, so this isn't coming from Pepsi or Budwiser as far as we can tell. The website also has a pretty extensive synopsis for this movie, along with a character profile for Brian Dundee, McBride's character.

"Crocodile Dundee is back! Well, actually, he's missing in the Outback. And the only person who might be able to find him is the loudmouthed American son no one knew he had. Introducing Danny McBride as Brian Dundee. This son of a legend is forced to channel his Aussie roots as he embarks on the ultimate adventure in the land down under. It's time to live up to the family name. Unlike his father, Brian grew up a true city kid. But that won't stop him from picking up his dad's oversized knife and launching into the Australian outback, completely unprepared for what lies ahead."

Apparently series creator and original star Paul Hogan wanted to make a new sequel for younger audiences, and the best way he thought to do that was bring in Danny McBride. Hogan is still appearing in the film as the missing Crocodile Dundee. All involved shot the movie on the down low, with McBride able to keep everything secret as he only talked about his upcoming Halloween movie in the press, which he is co-writing but not starring in.

People Magazine revealed Dundee to the world as an exclusive. And they managed to get a couple of quotes from the actors involved. Paul Hogan is said to have gotten the movie off the ground with the help of some friends, and there is no mention of Paramount Pictures at all, which means he must have gotten the rights back, or perhaps they will be announced as a distribution partner at a later date. Hogan has nothing but fond memories for his Dundee character, no doubt his most memorable. He says this about the movie.

"Crocodile Dundee is a film that has stood the test of time. It was a defining moment in my life and one of my proudest accomplishments. Throughout the past few years, I've been thinking about how to bring Dundee to a new generation. I'm excited to introduce the new Crocodile Dundee to the world and look forward to sharing more news about those involved very soon."

In the first trailer, McBride barley attempts an Australian accent, before playing with a giant knife to deliver Dundee's best catch phrase. About playing the character, the actor insists it's not too hard.

"I'm not going to lie to you, to be a real Crocodile Dundee, I think 95% of it is the vest and then 5% is just being able to not fall down and stay on your feet."

So, while everyone was focused on Danny McBride resurrecting horror icon Micheal Myers for his Blumhouse Hallwoeen, no one knew he was hiding another weird reboot under his arm. You can take a look at the trailer, promotional art and behind-the-scenes images here. And it sounds like we can expect a full length trailer showing McBride and Hogan together sometime in the next couple of weeks. Perhaps the trailer will drop at the Super Bowl? But again, we doubt it because one :30 spot seriously, no joke, costs as much as this movie did to make. To reiterate, this is not a prank or a ruse. It's a real movie. And it's coming this summer. Surprise.